Posts Tagged ‘extensions’

So, you lusted after Michelle Williams’ chicly-crafted pixie and raced to your hairdresser for the famous chop, perhaps a bit…prematurely? Then a few months into the awkward grow-out stage, you’re rocking an unbecoming shaggy mullet while she’s slaying an on-point, shoulder-length LOB?! Ladies, it’s not witchcraft: it’s tape extensions! They’re a powerful tool in the battle against out growing out a short, uneven and aggressively-layered haircut. Trust that I speak from experience: My own spontaneous pixie has had me playing the grow-out game for well over a year now, and that, in conjunction with a love for this bright blonde life, hasn’t exactly ushered me into a healthy, uniform length. Some days I need to fill in the gaps and some days (when wearing my hair up) I don’t! I love that they can be used in this temporary way vs. a real application by a pro which lasts many months. So, when I’m not doing THIS TREATMENT, THIS PRE-SHAMPOO FIX or BRAIDING it up to avoid heat damage, I’m reaching for the tape-ins to give me those full front corners that give a bob it’s coveted form. Here are the steps, if you find yourself longing for the same thing:

1) Start with clean, dry hair. Make sure to use a CLARIFYING SHAMPOOand only condition, if necessary, but NOT the root area! (Getting conditioner or any product near the scalp before applying tape extensions can cause them to slip.) Now blowdry smooth and flat iron to make sure there aren’t flyaways – when little individual rogue hairs get pulled by the tape it hurts! Also, waves can hide a multitude of sins, but straight hair will give you the true story of what’s going on with your cut.

**Note: know your limits: stick to the hair in the front sides of your head and avoid attempting the back. If your hair needs allover length or volume, or you’re looking for a more permanent solution, a trained professional should hook you up.

2) Have everything you’ll need ready to go once you start parting, and make sure to prep and tape all your extensions if you’re reusing them (instructions at the bottom).

3) Create a clean horizontal parting where you want to apply your extension, and clip surrounding hair out of the way. Try to avoid hairlines and your main part by about 1″. Make sure to hold the extension up first to ensure it’s the right length.

4) Remove the paper backing from the extension, holding just below the tape to avoid touching it. The transfer of oil from your fingertips will lessen its staying power.

5.) Apply right below your parting and press down firmly to smooth and adhere.

6.) Drop down clipped-up hair to gauge the difference. We decided the bang was still too heavy, so we added another extension at the top corner of the head – right before it starts to round into the top – to break it up.

7.) Once happy with one side, repeat previous steps on the other side and check for balance.

8.) The finished look. Dreamy. What a mini miracle! Remember to put your extensions in the same place each time or you’ll end up having to trim the tips to get it to look right, which then shortens the extensions!

We completed the look with THESE waves to blend layers together and give the hair a little extra fullness.

This extension method will typically last until your next shampoo, or 1-3 days. If you use a different tape-in extension brand, also use their bond remover to make sure the process goes smoothly. As I mentioned above, if you’re in a pinch you can use a LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER.Spray directly onto the tape and gently lifting to remove. If you feel any tension, add more conditioner until they easily glide off. To prep extensions for future use, remove excess tape, wash well with clarifying shampoo and condition just the mids-ends, then let air dry. Once dry, apply the brand’s pre-cut double sided tape and leave the paper backing on until the next time you’re ready to get down.

You did it! This little trick can be a total lifesaver during the grow out process, and as you’ve seen, just a few pieces in the right place can make a huge difference. Now go make plans to be seen!

Have you tried tape-in extensions the non-permanent way? Let us know if they worked for your hair in the comments below!

Let’s have a real talk moment, please. The two photos above are of the same person. The top photo is nice, normal/fine, everyday hair while the bottom hair is what I like to call “internet hair”. You know what I’m talking about– the type of hair that’s totally attainable but not at all realistic for every moment of every day. “Internet hair” takes work! In this post I’m going to give you my top !!! ways of making your everyday hair into thicker, fuller, epic hair, even if it is just for a special event, an instagram pic or your own blog! Sounds silly but you’d be surprised at how often I get a request for “more photogenic hair”.

First things first, if your hair is fine and limp, you’ll need some extensions. That’s just the way it is. We use them on photoshoots and if you’re trying to pump up your hair, extensions are the way to go. You can either do some TAPE-INSor you can grab some CLIP-IN TRACKS. Make sure they have demensional color, meaning some highlights and lowlights. Variation in the colors will give your hair more dimension and will allow the texture to show up more.

Prepping your hair with product is essential. I’m a less is more kinda gal when it comes to products on a daily basis, but for this type of hair there’s no way around it. You need product support here. I like to use a volumizing mousse, likeLIVING PROOF FULL THICKENING MOUSSE or ORIBE GRANDIOSE (at the ROOT only). Neither of these two have ever felt “sticky” in my hair or in my clients’ hair. They give volume without feeling product-y.

Next up I spray ORIBE THICKENING SPRAY from middle to ends. You can skip the mousse and use this at the root if you want but I prefer the strength of the mousse at the root.

I flip the hair back and forth and upside down while blowdrying because I like to get the hair up off of the root so it’s not laying flat against the head. I also don’t round brush a lot because it smooths the hair too much and I want all the volume I can get. I round brush the bangs or the hairline and maybe a tiny section at the crown, just to remove wave pattern or cowlicks.

If you plan on parting to the side, use THIS VOLUMIZING TRICK from our previous post! It is SO helpful for side parting with volume.

A favorite trick of mine is to put the hair in a FUN BUNto cool for 5 or so minutes after you’re done blowdrying. It helps the hair set in a more voluminous way. Then I take it down and curl.

Very important when going for thicker looking hair, switch between the curling iron and the wand LIKE WE DID HERE, or go wand all the way. When you use a curling iron with a clamp, you’re squeezing the hair between two hot plates so it’s technically polishing and also lessening the volume. When you wrap it around a wand, you get fuller, more bouncy voluminous curls because it’s not getting flattened between two hot plates. If you love the curling iron curls using the clamp, just be aware that they’re not going to be as full as they will if you wrap or wand them! Try to go at least half and half LIKE THIS!

I just started using LIVING PROOF THICKENING CREAMand I’m obbbbbbbsessed. I’m probably using it wrong but yolo. I’ve tried it on the hair when it’s wet as well as using it after it’s dry to style and I LOVE it for that even more than I do on wet hair. In the bottom photo, I scrunched it into the hair instead of using my normal pomade x serum combo.

I like adding a quick shot of tinted dry shampoo like KLORANE at the root to make sure the hair doesn’t get oily too quickly. That often happens with fine hair!

When it comes to super short hair, you often find yourself to be slightly limited with styling options. That’s why we thought it would be great to show you how to temporarily add a little length using extension wefts. This gives you a bit more versatility with your look. We’re pretty obsessed with Meagan Good’s short + sassy style. It’s really short in the back and gets longer toward the front. We’ve seen short hair on both Rihanna + Pink for years, but there’s something less edgy about this– it’s a very feminine, chic, flirty hairstyle. We’re so excited to show you how to play with length. Here we go! (more…)

TAPE EXTENSIONS are the newest type of extension to hit the American market. I started using these about 7 years ago on set in various ways. They can be done permanently by a professional in the salon (lasting 8-12 weeks) or temporarily at home (lasting 1-3 days). This tutorial walks you through the steps of doing them temporarily, at home.

Temporary tape extensions are good for several reasons. They can get you through a crazy haircut that just has way too many layers, they can add density to fine thin hair, or they can add length for a wedding or a fun night out. Once they’re in, they’re virtually undetectable. They lay completely flat and blend into your own hair better than any other extension I’ve ever worked with. They’re my go-to on photo shoots, red carpet clients and in the salon. Since we are unable to see you from here, we unfortunately can’t advise which one is best for your particular hair. Keep in mind that it’s important when buying ANY extensions to consult properly with the company or person you’re purchasing them from to make sure you’re getting the right color and texture.

3. Lay the sticky side of the extension directly on the scalp. Press it in place with your fingertips to secure.

4. Take your next section 1-2 inches above the last section and repeat the same process until you reach the top. (Always stay an inch away from where you wear your hair parted on top so the extensions don’t peek through or show.) Repeat this process for the back sections if necessary.

5. Once hair is in, use your flat iron on a low heat setting to smooth over the top layer of your own hair, blending it perfectly in to the extension hair.

6. Style as usual.

Removal: The company you purchase the extensions from should also have a remover/solvent for taking the hair out along with instructions on how to remove them. If for some reason you don’t have the remover, you can spray leave-in conditioner at the root where the tape is. Saturate well and let it set for 3 minutes. The extension should then come off easily and not pull your own hair.